I was hoping to get some thoughts on the best graduate degree for me to consider. I originally graduated as a diploma RN, and completed my BSN this past May. I hold two nursing certifications (CEN and CNRN) and have about three years experience in nursing leadership. I have functioned as an Emergency Department clinical coordinator and, most recently, the coordinator of my hospital's stroke center. I'm prepared to go back to school for a graduate degree, but I'm not sure what I should pursue.
I'm turning 30 next month, and I have many working years ahead of me. High level administration is my long term goal. I hope to become a VP of nursing, director of nursing, chief nursing officer, service line VP, etc in the future. I'm wondering if I would be better served by an MBA or an MSN. The problem I'm seeing is that most of the MSN programs I am finding are clinically focused, i.e. nurse practitioner, CNS, etc. The same appears to be true of the DNP programs, which are mostly focused on preparing the candidate for a clinical or nurse educator/researcher role. If my intent is to pursue executive leadership, would I be better off going the MBA route?
I would appreciate any thoughts on this subject. I guess there's really no "right" answer.
